Single handing into Eastbourne

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Is this possible/advisable?

I'm quite happy single-handing an S28 in the general case, but the locks at Eastbourne are concerning me a bit. Plenty of things to attach to? Do the attachment thingies go up and down with the lock, or is it "uh-oh, reattach". Big movement of water when the lock opens or not?

Any tips or local knowledge much appreciated.
 
FlowerPower said:
Is this possible/advisable?

I'm quite happy single-handing an S28 in the general case, but the locks at Eastbourne are concerning me a bit. Plenty of things to attach to? Do the attachment thingies go up and down with the lock, or is it "uh-oh, reattach". Big movement of water when the lock opens or not?

Any tips or local knowledge much appreciated.
Click to expand...

I've been into Eastbourne twice and I don't see any special difficulty with the locks so long as you are confident mooring to a pontoon generally. The pontoons in the locks do float and there didn't seem to be too much water movement when I was there.

Good luck,

Boo2
 
I was based there for a couple of summers. You'll not have a problem - I managed to single hand in and out several times. The locks are big and have floating pontoons with warps attached every five metres or so. Just get a line onto you middle cleat to start with. Do tie the boat up bow and stern though as there is a big eddy through the lock if any significant rise or drop, and there often is as the tides have a much bigger range than the Solent. If you arrive at a busy time you'll be rafted into the lock, but this can be easier as usually plenty of helping hands to grab your lines from the helm, esp if you call out that you're single handed :D

If you're waiting outside for a lock keep within the buoys as it shallows VERY fast outside the marked channel to mud. At LWS the outer harbour is all mud, and to west of the channel too.

simply italian on the waterfront is good and do kids meals; avoid the Harvester. Enjoy :)
 
Thanks for the tips and the reassurance: will probably be there Thurs en-route to eastern climes.

I had nightmare visions of standing on the foredeck trying to keep attached to a docking ring 6ft above in a corrugated iron lock, with millions of gallons of water sloshing around ... like in Amfreville!

dv.
 
Easy to use, this was last year leaving the marina.

IMGP2833.jpg
 
Bendyone is quite right they do, they are boarded from the deck to the waterline so no nasty gaps apart from the inbuilt steps through which the dreaded skyrat pigeons gain entry to breed.


Attached photo of my mate Steve entering the lock from seaward side on his flybridge princess "Chardonnay" This clearly shows the structure of the mooring pontoon.

Ta

Mike
 
As stated it does get very shallow outside of the buoys so you do need to be careful on the way through the small harbour and whilst waiting for the lock if the tide is low.
STA42498.jpg

The fuel berth is just inside the marina, immediately to starboard

When you get to Ramsgate, if the dozy guys in the marina tell you to go and park anywhere, ignore the the berths on the right handside of the harbour as when we were there, one boat was flat on the mud on the pontoons to the right
STA42375.jpg


Have a great trip and let's see lots of pics when you get back
 
Thanks again to all for the advice and piccies:

Twas a bit bouncey off Brighton, and there were some larger, but easier waves to surf down around Beachy Head. I saw several sailing boats, and maybe, errm, two other mobos en route?

Glad I was going with the waves, rather than upwind :eek:

Getting fenders on before the lock was interesting.
Staff here are v.friendly and helpful.

Tally so far is as follows:

60miles.
3.5 hours.
130 litres of diesel.
7 mini pasties.
1.5 bottles of red wine.
1 Calzone and a Bruschetta.
 
Last edited:
FlowerPower said:
Thanks again to all for the advice and piccies:

Twas a bit bouncey off Brighton, and there were some larger, but easier waves to surf down around Beachy Head. I saw several sailing boats, and maybe, errm, two other mobos en route?

Glad I was going with the waves, rather than upwind :eek:

Getting fenders on before the lock was interesting.
Staff here are v.friendly and helpful.

Tally so far is as follows:

60miles.
3.5 hours.
130 litres of diesel.
7 mini pasties.
1.5 bottles of red wine.
1 Calzone and a Bruschetta.
Click to expand...

Good going. Definitely got a bit chunky here this afternoon (every afternoon at the moment, it seems) - where are you headed?

Cheers
Jimmy
 
Aigua said:
Can we assume that the pictures are going to follow? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Pictures en-route are tricky.

I usually use an FTP site to dump my photos to, but this is only accessible from my box at home, which leaves photobucket-we-delete-U or other dodgy photo upload sites.

One solution would be a proper VPN switch at home, but swmbo keeps spending that budget on soft furnishings.
 
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